Apparently I just coined a new word. Search Google for this word and you won’t find it, except perhaps now, in this blog post. Even when I searched incognito nothing came up.
In the context of my blog and YouTube channel and mission, Epic Tomorrows, what do I define as a charitivist? Answer: someone who has experience of both activism and charitable sector work, and tries to find the fertile edge between the two, with the strategic aim of helping to build a strong civil society. But one where ethical rule-breaking is normalised. Because a strong civil society, one that is stronger than the law itself, is essential to revolutionary change. I use this term ‘civil society’ deliberately because it is contested. Contested terms can themselves be fertile ground for revolution.
Aside from the ambiguity, what I am trying to communicate is that the non-governmental and not-for-profit sectors of society –which by my definition or the civil society definition could conceivably include the private sphere, families, communities associated voluntarily, culturally or geographically, and activists, insofar as these overlapping quarters of society can be defined arbitrarily within the capitalist division of ‘sectors’– is predominantly where society must be transformed. If you know my platform; if you know Epic Tomorrows, you will know I do not have faith in state governments or for-profit enterprise to effect the change we need to mitigate the ecological crisis and unfolding collapse of global society. But the charitable / non-governmental sectors, despite their various regulation by states, have the potential, I believe, to transcend their regulated edges to form relationships of solidarity and even practical help with activist movements and initiatives, even ethically law-breaking ones.
As Giovanni Baldelli wrote in Social Anarchism, ethical capital -the capacity to do the right thing, the humane and prosocial or pro-nature thing- is not the preserve of any political or activist group, and especially not those vanguardist groups who try to enforce their vision and values upon the rest of the world. So, since the world is in crisis, so-called revolutionary or radical activists would do well to look within those established sectors of society where ethical capital is commonly high, and to build understanding and momentum for change in partnership with groups invested or operating in those sectors, without losing the radical edge that is necessary for the profound change that the climate crisis and deeper Metacrisis now demand.
Small and medium-sized NGOs and charitable organisations could be especially well-placed to form bridges with activist groups and deeper links with civil society in general, or alternatively to ‘become more activist’ and put forward inspiring visions for society and methods to realise those visions, that are a fundamental break from the status quo. In some cases this might even involve such not-for-profits imagining pathways towards their own transformation or dissolution into a post-capitalist, post-growth society. If these organisations can strategise in cooperation with likeminded ones, as well as activist groups and community groups, from the law abiding to the ethically law-breaking, then so much the better.
As a charitivist I work for the Arkbound Foundation, a charitable organisation focused on publishing that has great potential to become broadly charitivist itself. The founder and current coordinator of Arkbound is also a charitivist (if he doesn’t mind me calling him that) by my definition. The charitivist angle may be hard to sell to others who work for the organisation in paid or voluntary capacities, from the voluntary trustees, through the paid staff to the volunteers, but if any of them ever read this blog post, I would encourage them to give this some serious consideration, and also not to worry: I am not implying that Arkbound itself should break the law. However, there will be no Arkbound on a dead planet.
Meanwhile, I have been given the go-ahead to coordinate, curate and edit a diverse multi-author book to be published by Arkbound, themed broadly around ecological crisis, societal collapse and revolution (or if it’s easier for charitable sector workers to stomach, ‘revolutionary change’). I am also responsible for the fundraising for this book. The crowdfunding campaign starts on 7th August Eastern Australia time, since we have some potential support coming from Australia (which is roughly after noon on 6th August in the UK). In the name of charitable work, activism, charitivism, the climate and ecological crisis, mitigating societal collapse and effecting revolutionary change, I hope you will consider donating. Go to Crowdbound.org, Arkbound’s dedicated crowdfunding platform, when the time comes. There is more promotional info here if you want to spread the word further, as well as a video about it below. For charitivism. For a liveable future. Thanks.
